Bandits

Fun but no great shakes. Not the best of Barry Levinson's movies but certainly not the worse either.

Billy Bob Thornton is hysterical as Bruce Willis' partner in crime. Their method of bank robbery is rather considerate, all things considered, and kind of touching. They visit the bank president the night before and get in with his cooperation. Why this happens without incident is anyone's guess, but I don't think its supposed to be deep or insightful or anything, and I don't mean that it insults the audience either.

Cate Blanchett is along for the ride, eventually. She doesn't belong with them, or anyone else, but she adds a lot of fun.

I'd rate Billy Bob's hypochondriac in this alongside Woody Allen's in "Hannah And Her Sisters". 7/10.

Bandits is an interesting original film about two outlaws, Joe Blake and Terry Collins (Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton) whom, after escaping from prison decide to continue their bank robbing spree but with a different tactic. They kidnap the bank manager,take him to work the following morning and get him to open the vault without the complications of tellers and customers. This works successfully until they run into Kate (played to perfection by Cate Blanchett in an overlooked role).Kate is an overworked stressed out housewife who decides she needs some action in her dull life. She forms a romantic relationship with Joe and starts to rob banks with them, a little extreme for a mid- life crisis don't you think?. Later in the film she falls for Terry. Cate becomes torn between the two and a rift is formed between the thieves. This is the interesting dilemma explored in this film as the two cannot afford to be torn apart as all they have in life is each other.

This film is funnier than you would expect, it plays more as a comedy than a crime film. Willis nicely escapes his cop persona in the role of Smooth likable Joe Blake. Thornton is superbly funny as Collins, the neurotic paranoid partner. As aforementioned, Blanchett is perfect as the love interest.

The ending is enjoyable if not a little expected. The one big flaw in this film is that Thornton's character, though entertaining is clearly not the criminal type. Though the relationship between the two main characters is touching.

Bandits is a funny, enjoyable, original comedy that I recommend to everyone. Go out and see this film. There will hardly be a moment in it that you will not adore.

'Bandits' is kind of movie that is nothing special, but it works because of the likeable and charismatic lead actors. The story is not very original and it feels like the movie could have been good 20 minutes shorter. The direction and editing seems amateurish, but I guess that was the intention of the director just to add some quirkiness to the movie. Most of the humor is is quite sharp or nicely subtle and it never falls flat. But it is the chemistry between the three main players that keep the movie together. It almost feels like these were too good performances for such a simple genre movie.

I enjoyed it epically the first time I saw and, I still haven't gotten tired of all its charms. Bandits is almost adorable. It takes us on a breezy ride of crime and comedy, up and down the US west coast with killer one liners, witty dialogue, in addition to soundtrack which features more great hits than any five movies combined, including some Bob Dylan, some Bonnie Tyler, some Robert Plant, some U2 and many others. But seriously, don't get the soundtrack, get the movie.

When the curtain rises, The 'Sleepover Bandits' Joe Blake and Terry Collins, have screwed up a major bank robbery and are now trapped inside surrounded by the LAPD, the Swat and hundred of press. We then flash back several months to when the two break out of prison in Oregon. Once on the loose they form a plan to escape into Mexico and run a hotel. But first, they have to rob a lot of banks. Thinks are going well at first until a big bump in the road appears. Kate Wheeler is running away from her miserable life, she runs into the Bandits, who make her a hostage, but both fall in love with her, and while she is having the time of her life on the run with these guys, she may also be the straw that breaks the camels back and ends Joe and Terry's friendship.

From the first scene it is established that Kate was the one who tipped of the cops, and is the reason why the two are trapped in the bank. The Journey towards this particular moment however, is wild. The romantic element is funny, the crime element is funny, and the comedic element is especially funny. These Bandits turn out to be likable guys, We end up rooting for them, even though they may occasionally get childish and immature. Bruce Willis is not a funny guy, but here he plays almost a satire of himself. We are used to seeing him as a ruffian. Billy Bob Thornton is very funny, and because of his character's hypochodria, he gets to deliver some of the best lines in the movie. Bandits also offers what may Cate Blanchett's most adorable role. This must've been a fun movie to act in.

There is a lot more worth saying about Bandits, but I don't wanna over sell it. You really have to see it for yourselves.

The story of two unlikely bank robbers, a sexy accomplice, and a would-be movie stunt man who come together for one last big score. The story is complex enough to keep your attention right up until the surprise ending. Beyond that, though, this is an ensemble character study with four wonderful actors and it is a pleasure to watch them work. Bruce Willis is a tough guy with a believable sensitive side. Billy Bob Thornton is a hypochondriac with a penchant for making trivial observations at extremely critical times. Billy Bob enjoys doing different characters and this is a memorable one. Cate Blanchett is a beautiful woman running from a failed marriage who falls in love with both men. Troy Garity is a cowboy stunt man whose lapses in judgment are made forgivable by his love for his work. This is, for Garity, a very different character from role in "Barbershop". The movie is beautifully filmed in interesting places and there are even a few classy automobiles around. If you enjoy a good story, some action, and good actors working well together, I recommend that you rent this one.